Three Arkansas counties adopt
e-billing
Shannon Chronister, data processing director for the Pulaski County Tax Collector’s office, demonstrates how taxpayers access the new e-billing Web site. By Christy L. Smith AAC Communications Coordinator
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Proponents tout systems’ convenience and cost savings
axpayers in three Arkansas counties — Pulaski, Saline and Sebastian — received electronic property tax bills for the first time this year. And Saline County resident Peggy Butler, 74, said she is pleased with the system her county has implemented. “It’s more convenient, and it’s easier,” she said. Butler doesn’t have to keep up with a paper bill. Her electronic bill remains in her email inbox, so she always knows where it is. Plus, by paying her bill online, she earns credit card rewards points and avoids standing in line at the collector’s office. “From what I perceive to be the case with people 50 years old and younger, this would be the only thing they would want to do. But even with people my age, it couldn’t be any simpler,” she said. “It would seem to me that every county would want to do it.” Arkansas counties gained the ability to issue electronic property tax bills following the passage of House Bill 1023 in the 2013 legislative session. Co-sponsored by state Rep. Andy Mayberry and Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, the measure amended ACA 26-35-705 requiring county sheriffs or collectors to mail property tax statements to residents no later than July 1 of each year. Those officials now can send electronic tax statements by July 1, as well. The goal, according to language in the bill, was to streamline the billing process and to reduce the costs associated with mailing tax statements. Sebastian County Treasurer/Collector Judith Miller said she mails 28
“From what I perceive to be the case with people 50 years old and younger, this would be the only thing they would want to do. But even with people my age, it couldn’t be any simpler.”
— Peggy Butler, Saline County taxpayer
approximately 66,000 tax bills every year at a cost of 56 cents per bill. This year, 1,600 people in her county had opted to receive electronic bills only. “When you send an email out, it costs us zero,” Miller said. Pulaski County Chief Deputy Collector Bentley Hovis said it will be a couple of years before his county knows the true value of its costs savings but that the potential is great considering that it costs about $1 for the county to print and mail each tax bill. In 2012, the Pulaski County Collector’s office mailed 278,939 tax bills at a total cost of $243,135. That amount includes $12,250 for processing approximately 25,000 pieces of returned mail and another $40,232 for printing and postage of delinquent tax bills. “In some cases, people are receiving three pieces of mail,” said Hovis. “If we get 10 percent of taxpayers to opt in [for electronic billing], we would save about $30,000. That’s a sheriff’s deputy,” he said.
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ulaski County Treasurer/Collector Debra Buckner said a light bulb went off in her head a couple of summers ago when she received an email regarding online car tag renewal. If the Arkansas COUNTY LINES, spring 2014
